Book Club #69: The Twice-Dead King: Reign

Every two weeks we read a new book in the WH40k universe and discuss it on our podcast. We invite you to read along with us and join in on our conversation via comments, Twitter, email, or vox cast.

For this episode, we’re reading The Twice-Dead King: Reign by Nate Crowley. You can purchase it at Amazon, Black Library, or Audible.

From the back of the book:

After centuries of exile, the necron lord Oltyx has at last been granted the thing he has always craved: the throne of the Ithakas Dynasty. Kingship, however, is not quite what he had hoped for – Oltyx’s reign currently exists aboard the dying battleship Akrops, as it lumbers away from the ruins of his crownworld. Behind it is a hostile armada of unfathomable size, launched by the barbaric alien war-cult known as the Imperium of Man. And within the Akrops’ sepulchral hold, an even greater threat festers – the creeping horror of the flayer curse. Faced with such overwhelming odds, Oltyx leads a desperate voyage into a darkness so profound that salvation and doom look much the same. If he and his dynasty are to make it through that long night, Oltyx will have to become a very different sort of king.

Questions to ponder after reading The Twice-Dead King: Reign:

• Did you like the book?
• What parts stood out?
• Did you understand why the sequel was such a fast follow? Did that make it more enjoyable?
• What do you think of Oltyx as a leader? Was he a “good” king?
• Theory time: What is the Ghostwind?
• What was Mentep’s play here? How did the Warlock fit into the story?
• Did Valgul ever really exist?
• What did you make of the ending? Did it make sense? Was it satisfying?